Sugar Horse is a band comprised of musicians who have a firm mind about the direction they want to take their music and it is, with all honesty, very exciting to hear. The
members are Ash Tubb (Vox/Guitar), Chris Howarth (Bass)
and Martin Savage (Drums). Having met at university in Bristol in 2012,
they were all studying Commercial Music. A course that aims to get the
student a broad understanding of what is needed to manage, promote,
organise and run a band. Quickly become firm friends, the notion of
creating music together didn’t come for a couple of years until late
2014. This was initially born of the fact that Ash and Chris were house
sharing at the time and would often jam together as a way to pass the
time. Growing weary of the plethora of technical Math Rock bands that
exploded in popularity and who seemed to be taking themselves far too
seriously, they devised a plan to create music that wouldn’t seem out of
place on a line up with some of these acts but would stand out in it’s
own right as a tonic.
Their four Track album, Drek, opens with Clay Country. The rising atmospheric swell puts you in mind of a broken church organ being played at a far off abandoned carnival, which is when the thundering crunch of Bass and Drums forming a powerhouse back end fall into place, along with a haunting and ethereal vocal.
At this extremely early stage, my heart is already in my throat such is the sense of dreadful foreboding that this trio have raked up from within. It at once feels desperate, dangerous and anxious.
An escalating middle eight showcases the tightness of the group along with the unconventional but exceptional tonal decisions they make.
Death by snake builds in a manner somewhat similar to the first, with a picked clean guitar giving way to a crisp deliberate drum. The vocal, provided By Ash Tubb, again creeps into your brain through the murk and gloom of a much more understated bass line but a high end cacophony of effect layered guitar. The sense of drama and emotion is still there and as the guitar gives way to a droning bass and drum, it’s re-emergence as manic punctuation underlines the simple effectiveness they have. All fades again and Chris Howarth's bass is accompanied by what sounds like snare drum rim shots provided by drummer Martin Savage. Another wall of noise assaults the senses, sonically demanding your attention. Tubbs guitar wailing for acknowledgement.
The penultimate track on the album, hippies will let you die, opens with Howarth's precise bass playing, high up the neck. Following suit is the jangling of Tubbs guitar, notes being picked from behind the nut to give a shrill accent to the jangle of the rhythm. As the drums and bass fall away, we have a clarity of vocal as yet unheard and what it tells us is that Tubb has some serious tonality there, reminiscent of the best of the eighties new wave vocalists. Sugar Horse are playing with tempo and timing here as Savage’s hi hat and snare work emphasise. As the track appears to end there is a small chordal refrain that suggests we’re not quite done yet, and the sensory overload of squealing and crushing guitar and bass comes crashing in to confirm that.
The eponymous album closer opens with an attack on your eardrums that is reminiscent to the open bars of Smashing Pumpkins ‘Quiet’. Heavy bass and drums underpin Tubbs best vocal performance while the aural superstructure they have created towers over you. Executing the quiet-heavy paradigm in a way that feels fresh, exciting, exhilarating and all at once terrifying is nothing short of inspirational. When the guitar kicks in with, what is now, their trademark blend of harmony, noise and chaos I am captivated and exhausted and simultaneously inspired to pick up my guitar and thrash out some glorious noise!
What has been presented is exactly the type of melodious sound you never knew you needed.
Sugar Horse are completing the writing of their second 4 track EP which will form the middle instalment of a trilogy of 4 track releases, culminating in a 12 track vinyl release of the complete works in it’s entirety. The individual works are DREK, as reviewed above, DRUJ which is due to be recorded imminently and DRED. Based on this first instalment I cannot wait to hear what these guys are going to produce next.
You can also follow them here https://www.facebook.com/sugarhorseruinedmybirthday/?ref=br_rs to stay up to date with the latest news from them.
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